Joshua webster



J.' WEBSTER. Peat Machine.

Patented Jan. 29, 1867* @ntrn ttt-tts @anni @fitta 'IMPEovEuENr IN rrEE Miserie-TUBE 0E EAT EUEE.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN:

l Bc it knownlthatI, JOSHUA WESTER, of Malden, in the county of Middlesex, and State ot Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in the Manufacture cf- Pcat Fuel and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in Cconnection with the drawings which accompany andform part of this specification, isl a description of my invention siuicient'to enable'those skilled in the art to practise it.

'The invention relates to the construction and arrangement of mechanism for converting peat into fuel, by

compressi-en ofthe same to remove water therefrom.

Various machines and methods lhave of late been devised'for treating peat, to reduce its bulk and free it from water, but while many of these machines and methods have too great complication to admit of practical use, they all fail to a greater or less'extent, from the iluidity or semi-fluid condition of 'the peat itself, the fine particlesof peat being expressed with the'water, leaving only the coarse, undecomposcd 4and least Valuable matter foi fuel, iu the press, the peat in almost all cases being treated too'much in bulk.

In my invention I seek to'avoid these difticulties by using, in connection with a hopper, a long trough or incline, provided with a series of presser-rolls and reciprocating followers or scrapers, the first of which receives the peat from the hoppers, and as it is driven forward. shoves thc peat in advance of it, and as it is driven back rises up and drags over the peat, while the roller in front presses down upon the peat and drives the water therefrom, said water escaping down the incline. The forward action of the scraper carries the peat into such position that theinext rear movement of thc scraper above carries it behind this peat, so that'as it (the second.

scraper) next moves forward it carries with it the peat received from the first scraper, and the second roller acts upon this'portion of the peat to press the water from it, and so on until the peat iscarried over the top of the incline. By this means of intermittently moving thepeat forward on th `e incline,l and causing a presser-roll to act uponl it after each movement, the peat being in a thin stratum or layer, it is brought at each movement into a fresh positon or condition for the expression ofthe water contained in it.

The invention consists primarily in such'arrangement'and mcthod'ofoperation of a mechanism-for treating peat. y v

The drawing represents, in longitudinal section, a mechanism embodying said invention, two series, Aand B, of Scrapers and rollers being shown, though either set may be used alone, or others added as may be desraf,

b'1e,each series discharging into one next above it, where more than one series is used.

a a denote hopprs or conductors, into which the crude peat is thrown. In the hopper a is a reciprocating feeder, b, sliding against one wall or face of the hopper, and having a reciprocating movement imparted to it by connecting-rods c,- cxtenling from crank-wheels, d, or in any other suitable manner. Each downward movement of the feeder presses the peat lying against the wall down against a sliding bottom, e, which as it moves back discharges the peat into a long inclined trough,f., Each trough ff', contains a long slidingd carriage or boli, y, i

opening at its bottom' into. the trough, and containinga series oi' Scrapers, z, and presser-rollers z'. In the trough f each scraper isy shown as hung on a hinge-pin, turning loosely in bearings in swinging-arms k, while in the trough f the hinge of each scraper-pin is journalled in stationary bearings. Behind each scraper is a presser-roll` -z', the journals of each of which may turn in stationary bearings, (as at B,) or in bearing-plates hung to the swinging-armsk, as seen Aat A.v The bottom of each trough may be made of a series of short inclines,.m, opening out at bottom, as seen at A., or may be simply'ha close floor or bottom, extending the whole length of the trough', as seen at B. AEach carriage, g, has a reciprocating longitudinal movement imparted to it,-'cither by a band, n, passing round the crank-pulley d, or d', and. anysuitable driving' mechanism connected therewithfor in any other 'convenient manner, the extent of each :movement being egual to or greaterthau the distance between the adjacent Scrapers and where a train of ltwo or more troughs or inclines is employed, the Adrivingmechanism may be so arranged as to drive the Scrapers of all the series simultaneously. 'The drawing represents at A each set of Scrapers at the commencement of theiradva'nce movement, in which position the peat falls into the trough in front of the lower scraper. As the Scrapers advance eachA carries with it the peat lying in front of it, the pressure against the peat causing the scraper to it closely against` the bottom of the'trough. As the Scrapers next retreat the roll in advance of each Apresses de wn uponthe peat and expresses the'water from it, and allows the nextforward scraper to-'ride Overitpthe hinging of the scraper and its inclination allowing` it to tip up and pass over the peat Without moving it down the trough. The rear movement ofzeach scraper brings it behind the peat last carried forward by the scraper in rear of it, except the rs't one,which is brought into' position to receive a fresh supply from the hopper. Each presser-roll is providedwith a doctor, o, to remove the adhering peat from its surface. Thus as the peat is intermittently moved forward, and after each forward movement `is operated upon by the presser-roll, (the Water expressed from' it running cfr" down or through the inclined bottom,) it is gradually brought to a homogeneous consistency, with the greater part of the water removed'fro'm it, leaving it in a condition to be readily compressed, and so reduced inbulk as to convert it into a practical, portable, and e'cicnt fuel. Acondensing, compressing, or moulding apparatus may be combined directlyl with this mechanism, or so that the last scrapershall discharge the peat directly into the same, in such manner as to render the whole operation upon the peat automatic, after it enters the first hopper. By hanging tire Scrapers and rolls of the trough f onsWinging-arms, each roll and scraper adapts itsel` to the relatively inclined surface over which it operates, as willbe readily understood. The doctor of each roll may be made p adjustable or movable to and from the surface of the ro'll, to compensate for wear, or to the varying condition of the peat. Instead of the sliding feeder b, loose pendent feeders may be arranged on a crank-shaft, as seen at B,

intermixing and driving down the peat as the crank is turned.

I claim the arrangement, in connection with a hopper or other crude peat receptacle, of a series of Scrapers, operating in connection with a stationary incline orbed, substantially as set. forth.

Also, and in combination with such Scrapers and incline, the series of presser-rolls operating substantially as set'forth. l

JOSHUA WEBSTER.

' Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY, F. GOULD. 

